There's nothing to see here people. Move along.

Seriously folks, nothing to see.  My blog is like a morgue lately.  I have about six blog notes written up for some fun posts but have not taken the time to write them out.  Fall is a crazy time of year around here with sports and kid activities so every free moment I have, it's goes to my revising.  I thought I'd get back to my thrice a week blog schedule after summer passed but it's not happening any time soon. So until then please enjoy this video of "Little Toy Gun" by Honeyhoney (the latest song I've downloaded.)  Really cute song, great video.

In Memory of Zellie Blake

On September 5th 2010 the publishing community lost a fellow writer, Zellie Blake.  I'd love to tell you so much about her but I knew very little of her.  It was more of a chance passing.  Earlier this year I won a critique from Chimera Critiques and she was one of the writers that critiqued my work.  Upon receiving my critique she actually apologized for taking so long to get my critique back to me (like maybe a week) but the chemo was harder that week than she expected.  I was stunned and impressed.  How something as lowly as my critique still remained important to her even as she fought for her life.  This speaks volumes for a woman who chose never to give up.

Through Lulu she published the book she's been working on.  The proceeds from the purchase of that book will be donated to cancer research.  For more information please go to: http://chimeracritiques.com/?p=863 

Boys: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

In high school I burned through boys like a fuse to dynamite.  Now don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t the school slut…ha, not even by a long shot.  70% of the boys I crushed on were clueless I even had them in my radar.  They were yesterday’s news by the time they found out, if they ever found out.  My friends used to tease me about who the flavor of the week was.  I’d move from one extreme to the next. One week, Jockey Cocky.  The next week I’d crush on Creepy Poetic.  Sometimes I even flirted with Sappy Snooze, if the pickings were slim.  And if I really got brave, which never happened, I crushed on Hotpants  Deeppockets. (To this day I have a crush on Mr. Hotpants Deeppockets and he has the perfect soap opera name.)

For me, I got bored quickly.  In my mind I’d played out a lifetime of love, marriage, children and then inevitably divorced them, all in the span of week.  If they were lucky they’d last four in my fantasy head but that was rare.  Most of them never lived up to the potential I created for them or even worse, didn’t like me back in return. 

Well not much has changed today.  Oh don’t worry, hubby is here to stay.  He’s a keeper.  Instead of burning through boys, I burn through music.  I download something awesome every month.  In a matter of two weeks some songs get sixty or more plays, especially the ones that make feel like I’m crushing all over again.  I kind of feel sorry for the ones that don’t get played anymore.  It’s a graveyard of used up music that fed my muse for a time, then I discarded them, left to rot by the curbside.  There are a few I’ll drudge up and replay, kind of like drunk dialing, where I try to find that spark that ignited the fire to begin with.  For a brief moment I live in the haze of what once was.  But all good things must come to an end.  There it will sit, hidden away in some unused closet, like the tattered scraps notes, worn out concert tickets and ratty posters of boys.  Until next time, when it gets pulled out and dusted off.  I’ll smile as say “Man, those were some good times.”

That’s why I write YA, to recapture those completely unrealistic expectations and feelings, that at the time seemed totally rational.  How about you?

Kill the boring! That’d be me.

Prior to the last two poems I posted, have I not BORED YOU TO DEATH?!? (Don’t answer that Season!)  I know my blogs lately have not had the flavor of my past words but this book has taken, no wait, zapped all my creativity!  And while I could apologize for my blog being so boring and minimal over the summer, I won’t.  Instead I wanna tell you what I’ve been doing. 

As you all read last week, I FINISHED MY WIP. (yay!)  That brings the question, is it still a WIP if I’m revising it?  Or does WIP refer the actual writing of the book?  If so, what do call a WIP after it’s complete but before it’s ready to query?  WIR? (R=Revisions)  Again, I’m over thinking things, which brings me to what I’ve been doing (when I haven’t bored you to death)…revising my book.

Holy shit, this is not easy.  Finally after a week I have revised…my chapter 1.  Yep, that’s it.   I started working on Ch. 2 a little but that is all.  I find I sit in front of the computer and think and rearrange and freeze and finally OVER ANALYZE every freaking detail!!!!  It drives me mad I tell you.  Stupid crap too, like do I have her do this tiny action before or after the big scene.  And really, I can’t see where it makes a big difference so I flipped a coin.

I read on Natalie Murphy’s blog the other day 10 Things You Should Know Before You Revise.  They were very simple but most important, realistic.  And that is what I need to remember because it is only my second draft and it will not be perfect (her #2) and it will take you longer than you think to revise (her #1).  Now granted I DO NOT think it will only take me a few days, but is a month reasonable?  We’ll see. My goal is to be finished or close to finished by the end of September.  I’ll keep you guys posted.

In the mean time, what do you think the most important thing to do/remember when revising?

It's official, I'm strange.

Matt over at Pensive Sarcasm awarded me with the Strange Award.  I never follow the rules but here they are so you know exactly what I am breaking:

1. Add the logo of the award to your blog post.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you (the strange ones will come after you if you don't...well, not really, but it sounds good).

3. Nominate seven other blogs telling us why you think the recipient is strange enough to deserve the award.

4. Leave a message for those nominated on their blogs.

5. And, if you email catephoenix(at)gmail(dot)com and tell her you've received the award for your strangeness, she'll enter you in the biggest kick-ass Strange Men competition ever. Details over atstrangemeninpinstripesuits.com  (click on the award link on the home page)

Thank you to Matt for such an oddly complimenting award.  Since I have my nose deep in the revisions of my book I have not been reading blogs lately.  (I know, for shame.) So I don't feel it would be fair to pass on an award without really knowing what's out there.

My People by Langston Hughes

My People
~Langston Hughes

The night is beautiful,
So the faces of my people

The stars are beautiful,
So the eyes of my people

Beautiful, also, is the sun
Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people